Mordra
Mordra is the subtle and old goddess of contracts, stars and the undead. She is the mother of Hrothar, Iovantus and Saumthalla and was the wife of Nocturnus, the former god of death, until she schemed to destroy him in her eternal quest for immortality. Aspects The Conductor of the Heavens In this aspect Mordra is venerated as the governor of the stars above, conducting them in a great celestial orchestra as they reveal truth and prophecy to the creatures below. Followers of this aspect differ in whether the stars merely illuminate an immutable future or make the future by driving the subconscious desires of those below them but all agree that it will benefit Mordra in the end. Worshipers include all who look to the stars for guidance be they soothsayers, sailors or simple stargazers enraptured with the beauty of the night sky who may find guidance without looking for it. Temples of the Conductor are constructed to allow the congregated to observe the heavens, often with open roofs and architecture indicating patterns in the stars, congregations do not pray or make offerings but rather lay silent looking at the stars until one is struck by inspiration, interpretation or prophecy to share with the others. This requirement for peace, honesty and intuition amongst the faithful can see temples become restrictive as to whom may worship with them, especially in urban areas, "elite" congregations have been known to even publish books of their prophecies. The Mistress of Covenants The Mistress of Covenants is a powerful aspect of Mordra, feared for her ability to bind gods and men alike should they turn to her to make their contracts. Priests of the Mistress are called upon to invoke her during the making of oaths and contracts and if these covenants are broken they do not await Mordras intervention to see the oathbreaker punished for their arrogance. With such a draconian approach the church is only called upon during dire matters especially during agreements between enemies, countless cowards have been dragged to a duelling ground by black clad priests of Mordra, begging for mercy that will not come. The Mistress of Covenants reach is also felt among more mystic covenants, those that bind spirits and monsters to patterns and obedience in the right circumstances or the hands of an abjurer. All those who regularly make contracts venerate the Mistress including usurers, merchants, abjurers and conjurers. The Awakening Eye The rarest of Mordras aspects to be invoked but the most commonly known and one that speaks to a primeval fear in the hearts of all living things, The Awakening Eye is the patron of all who seek to escape death. Sometimes known by her other name The Mother of Undead, The Awakening Eye is not only Mordras offer of eternal life to those that walk the earth but also a symbol of her own quest to wrest free of the unyielding pull of The Labyrinth. Those that worship The Awakening Eye often do so in secret, away from those who believe that the peace of The Labyrinth should be embraced, they seek out forbidden covenants with Mordra to find an ageless life, some believe that the Elves made a pact with Mordra long ago in return for their ageless existences. To extend the lives of lesser creatures and to reanimate the memories of others Mordra uses the souls of others, where Mordra finds her souls is a mystery but her faithful claim she keeps those souls beyond the reach of her enemies hidden in the darkness between the stars and that all who receive one have done so in accordance with Mordras own schemes for immortality. The Awakening Eye is worshiped by necromancers, the aged and all who flee death not as an immediacy but as a concept, furthermore some say the countless dead striving for freedom in the Labyrinth sing with prayers to Mordra. Mother Mordra Mother Mordra does not exist in any church or scripture but travels on the tongues of superstitious parents and legend swapping children. Rare is the mother who in a moment of desperation hasn't invoked Mother Mordra to corral an unruly child, "If you wander the forest at night Mother Mordra will snatch you up" or insist that Mother Mordra would convey blessings to obedient and gracious children. All said without the weight of true belief but covenants with the goddess all the same, stories abound of unruly children truly disappearing in the night without a trace or children granted the eyes of an orc by a simple carrot eaten at the right time. When a merchant hesitantly put his seal to a contract bound by The Mistress of Covenants it is all to often a childhood fable of Mother Mordra that gives him that hesitation, or a lifetime of heeding legends and truisms that lend certainty to prophecies seen in the stars, and when faced with primeval fears embodied since childhood by Mother Mordra it is to her they turn to understand and escape them. There are no priests of Mother Mordra but out amongst the world are many elderly, who find themselves made alone and strange by the years gone by and friends since passed and to whom children ascribe fearful myths or wise women who have learned a great deal in their time and pass it on in story and in fable also pass on the doctrine of Mother Mordra. Myths Category:Deities